Wednesday, June 04, 2008

When Airlines Affect Clinic Schedules

A Perth cardiologist has lashed out at national airline Qantas, saying regular flight delays were potentially putting country patients at risk.

Western Cardiology consultant Johan Janssen has flown to Kalgoorlie every Monday for the past five years. This year, only about four of 20 flights have been on time, with some experiencing delays of up to four hours.

Dr Janssen said even one-hour delays on May 19 and 26, both due to mechanical problems, could have had a devastating effect on his patients.

“I’m so busy I’m booked three months in advance, so if I’m an hour late between five and 10 patients can’t see me,” Dr Janssen said.

“Some are really upset because they don’t feel well and if they’re elderly they can’t travel to Perth,” he said.

Talk about office overhead. I wonder how he covers the expense of airfare?

many of our country towns don't have the demand necessary to justify specialists, so specialists in our city hospitals fly to rural centres to consult.

they don't fly out the night before because they're not paid to spend that much time in a small country town; similarly, they're not paid enough to charter flights. These are not profit-making trips; they are there for the service of the community. Undoubtedly he would be able to make more money staying in Perth.

About Me

Westby G. Fisher, MD, FACC is a board certified internist, cardiologist, and cardiac electrophysiologist (doctor specializing in heart rhythm disorders) practicing at NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, IL, USA and is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine. He entered the blog-o-sphere in November, 2005.
DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this blog are strictly the those of the author(s) and should not be construed as the opinion(s) or policy(ies) of NorthShore University HealthSystem, nor recommendations for your care or anyone else's. Please seek professional guidance instead.